Scholarships To Help Fund Study-Abroad Opportunities

Nov. 3, 2003

A new scholarship program at Baylor University will provide students with funds for study-abroad experiences. The Glennis McCrary Goodrich International Scholarship Program will award scholarships to about 15 Baylor students during each academic year to participate in study-abroad programs. Maximum awards are $3,000 for summer programs and $5,000 for semester programs.

"Baylor is indeed fortunate to now have scholarship resources to partially fund many students who want to study abroad for a summer, a semester or a year," said Dr. William Mitchell, professor and The Jo Murphy Chair in International Education. "Since this scholarship is based on both need and merit, many good students who lacked the funds to travel in the past will now have an opportunity to do so."

Baylor students continue to study abroad in record numbers. The Institute of International Education report - "Open Doors 2002" - ranked Baylor second in the nation among doctoral universities for the number of students who participated in study abroad opportunities for 2000-2001. Baylor tied for sixth in the nation in "Open Doors 2001."

"In today's world, international experiences are more important than ever. Thanks to this new program, we can send more students to share in other cultures and learn more about themselves in the process. This is a great day for Baylor students."

The scholarship program is open to undergraduate and graduate students. To be considered, the student must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0; must return to study at Baylor for a minimum of one semester after completing the scholarship; must submit a brief report describing the study-abroad experience; and must participate in a study-abroad program that has been approved by the Baylor Center for International Education.

The scholarship selection committee will judge each applicant on such items as academic merit, financial need and academic field of the applicant, to name a few. Students can receive the scholarship only once during their time at Baylor.

Glennis McCrary Goodrich graduated from Baylor, magna cum laude in 1929. As a student, she served as captain of the Baylor women's football team, the first collegiate co-educational football team in the world. She provided most of the funds for the Glennis McCrary Music Building, and also contributed to the Armstrong Browning Library and endowed a scholarship that provides financial support to Baylor music students. She passed away in 2001, at age 92, preceded in death by her husband, Baxter Goodrich.

Baylor sponsors 31 summer and semester study-abroad programs, which are taught by Baylor faculty, and 26 exchange programs in which the student takes classes at a foreign university. The university is striving for even greater numbers of students who participate in a study-abroad experience at some point in their Baylor career. Imperative 11 of Baylor 2012, the university's 10-year vision, focuses on global education and sets a goal to increase the participation of Baylor undergraduate students in a study abroad experience to 30 percent.

For more information about the program, visit the Goodrich Scholarship web site or call the Center for International Education at 710-4824 or 710-2618.